Vehicle climate control apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A vehicle climate control apparatus and method realizing a satisfactory drive feeling and in-compartment comfort, at the same time, by estimating the behavioral intention of the driver at an early time are disclosed. The vehicle climate control apparatus comprises an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioning state in the compartments by controlling the air-conditioning device, a driving behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver, an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimating information for estimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on the operation amounts detected by the driving behavior detection unit, and a determining unit for estimating the output state of the power source based on the behavioral intention estimating information and giving an instruction to the air-conditioning control unit in accordance with the estimated output state.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a vehicle climate control apparatus and anair-conditioning control method capable of adjusting theair-conditioning state by estimating the intention of the driver fromhis driving behavior at an early time.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the prior art, a technique is known to secure the engine accelerationcharacteristic by reducing the load of an air-conditioning compressor onthe vehicle engine (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2003-285618, for example). In the vehicle climate control apparatusdescribed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-285618, anacceleration is determined and the compressor is stopped or thecompressor capacity is reduced in the case where the acceleration pedalangle actually exceeds a threshold value.

Also in the case where the engine load is increased such as whenascending a slope or at a merging point, the compressor load of theclimate control apparatus is imposed directly on the engine and isliable to adversely affect the drive feeling until the actualacceleration pedal angle exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thisis also the case with a vehicle such as a hybrid car using the motor asa power source. Specifically, with an increase in the load on the powersource, the electrical load of the electrically operated compressor ofthe climate control apparatus is imposed directly on the on-vehiclepower supply with the result that the power supply may be overloaded.Once the on-vehicle power supply is overloaded, the motor output isreduced and the drive feeling may be adversely affected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to provide a vehicle climate controlapparatus and an air-conditioning control method capable of realizingboth satisfactory drive feeling, and in-compartment comfort at the sametime, by estimating the intention of the driver at an early time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a climate controlapparatus of a cool-storage type for storing cold thermal energy duringthe operation of the refrigeration cycle, and an air-conditioningmethod, wherein both satisfactory drive feeling and in-compartmentcomfort can be realized, at the same time, by controlling the operationsof storing or releasing the cold thermal energy by estimating theintention of the driver at an early time.

In order to achieve the objects described above, the technical meansdescribed in each claim are employed.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus comprising:

an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioningstate in the vehicle compartments by controlling an air-conditioningdevice;

a driver behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts ofthe driver;

an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimationinformation representing the estimation of the prospective behavior ofthe driver based on the operation amounts detected by the driverbehavior detection unit; and

a determining unit for estimating the output state of a power sourcebased on the behavioral intention information and giving an instruction,corresponding to the estimated output state, to the air-conditioningcontrol unit.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus wherein the operation amounts preferablyinclude at least one of the acceleration pedal angle, the vehicle speedand the engine speed. The detection of the driver operation informationis thus made possible.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus wherein the determining unit preferably givesan instruction to the air-conditioning control unit to adjust theair-conditioning capacity in accordance with a predicted output state.

By doing so, based on the driver operation information, the intention ofthe prospective driving behavior of the driver (for example,accelerating operation or braking operation) can be estimated and theoutput state of the vehicle power source can be predicted at an earlytime. Depending on the predicted driving behavior (for example, anaccelerating operation), the air-conditioning load on the vehicle powersource can be adjusted downward to give priority to the drivingbehavior. Also, depending on the predicted driving behavior (forexample, a decelerating operation), the air-conditioning load on thevehicle power source can be adjusted upward to give priority to theair-conditioning capacity. As a result, both a satisfactory drivefeeling and in-compartment comfort can be secured at the same time.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus wherein the air-conditioning device includes acool storage unit for storing the cold thermal energy using the coolingcapacity during the air-conditioning operation, and the determining unitpreferably instructs the air-conditioning control unit to store orrelease the cold thermal energy in accordance with the predicted outputstate.

As a result, based on the driver operation information, the intention ofthe driver, regarding the prospective driving behavior (for example, theaccelerating behavior or the braking behavior), is predicted so that theoutput state of the vehicle power source can be predicted and aninstruction to store the cold thermal energy in the cool storage unit orrelease the cold thermal energy from the cool storage unit can be issuedat an early time. Depending on the predicted driving behavior (forexample, the accelerating behavior), therefore, the compressor load onthe vehicle power source can be adjusted downward or the cold thermalenergy can be released from the cool storage unit before the driverstarts the predicted driving behavior, so as to accord the drivingbehavior priority over an air-conditioning of a car. Also, depending onthe predicted driving behavior (for example, the decelerating behavior),the compressor load on the vehicle power source can be adjusted upwardat an early time to give priority to storing the cold thermal energy inthe cool storage unit. Thus, both a satisfactory drive feeling andin-compartment comfort can be secured at the same time.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus wherein the air-conditioning device includesan evaporator, and the determining unit preferably instructs the coolstorage unit to store the cold thermal energy and to achieve a targetevaporator temperature. Thus, the availability factor, of the compressorand the air-conditioning capacity of the air-conditioning device, can beadjusted.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus wherein the estimation unit preferablyincludes

a driving behavior storage unit for storing the detection informationfrom the driver behavior detection unit for a predetermined period oftime,

a driving pattern storage unit for storing a predetermined drivingbehavior pattern indicating the braking behavior or the acceleratingbehavior, and

a similarity degree calculation unit for determining a similarity degreeby comparing the operation amounts stored in the driving behaviorstorage unit with predetermined driving behavior patterns andcalculating the behavioral intention estimating information based on themost analogous driving pattern.

By comparing the driving behavior of the driver for a predeterminedperiod of time with a predetermined driving behavior pattern, thedriving behavior of the driver can be predicted with a higher accuracy.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus comprising:

an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioningstate in the vehicle compartments by controlling an air-conditioningdevice;

a driver behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts ofthe driver;

an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimatinginformation estimating the prospective behavior of the driver based onthe operation amounts detected;

a vehicle motion detection unit for detecting the motion of the vehicle;and

a determining unit for determining the conviction degree indicating theaccuracy of the behavioral intention estimating information based on thevehicle motion information detected by the vehicle motion detection unitand instructing the air-conditioning control unit to store the coldthermal energy in the cool storage unit based on the conviction degree.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicleclimate control apparatus, wherein the determining unit preferablyinstructs the air-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermalenergy in the cool storage unit in the case where the conviction degreeexceeds a predetermined value and gives no such instruction to theair-conditioning control unit in the case where the conviction degree isnot more than the predetermined value.

The driver's intention, regarding the prospective braking behavior, isestimated based on the driver operation information on the one hand, andthe accuracy of the predicted braking behavior is quantitativelyconfirmed based on the vehicle motion information indicating the motionof the vehicle. By doing so, the prospective braking behavior of thedriver can be determined with a higher accuracy.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein the vehicle motioninformation preferably includes at least one of the road informationfrom the car navigation system for guiding the driver along the routeand the road condition ahead of or behind the vehicle detected by acamera or a radar. In this way, the vehicle motion can be detected inaddition to the driver operation information.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein the air-conditioning devicehas an evaporator, and the determining unit preferably instructs thecool storage unit to store the cold thermal energy so as to achieve thetarget evaporator temperature. Thus, the availability factor of thecompressor and the air-conditioning capacity of the air-conditioningdevice can be adjusted.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein the estimation unit includesa driving behavior storage unit for storing the operation amounts for apredetermined period of time, a driving pattern storage unit for storinga predetermined driving behavior pattern indicating the acceleratingbehavior or the braking behavior, and a similarity degree calculationunit for determining a similarity by comparing the operation amountsstored in the driving behavior storage unit with a predetermined drivingbehavior pattern and calculating the behavioral intention estimatinginformation based on the most analogous driving pattern, wherein thedetermining unit preferably determines the conviction degree based onthe vehicle motion information, the behavioral intention estimationinformation and the degree of similarity.

The behavioral intention estimating information for estimating theintention of the driver for the prospective driving behavior isdetermined based on the driver operation information, and the convictiondegree is determined based on the similarity degree and the vehicleoperation information indicating the vehicle motion. In this way, theprospective driving behavior of the driver can be determined with ahigher accuracy. By starting to store the cold thermal energy in thecool storage unit at an early time, a longer cool storage time issecured than in the case where the cold thermal energy is stored afteractual braking or decelerating operation.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein the air-conditioning deviceincludes an air-conditioning case, an evaporator arranged in theair-conditioning case for cooling the flowing air and the cool storageunit downstream of the evaporator,

wherein the determining unit preferably further includes a targetevaporator temperature calculation unit for determining the targetevaporator temperature based on the vehicle motion information, thebehavioral intention estimating information and the conviction degree,and an output determining unit for instructing the air-conditioningcontrol unit to store the cold thermal energy in the cool storage unitso as to achieve the target temperature of the evaporator in theair-conditioning device.

As a result, by estimating the intention of the driver for theprospective driving behavior, the cold thermal energy can be stored inthe cool storage unit at an early time. At the same time, by setting theprevailing target evaporator temperature, the temperature conditionsdesirable for storing the cold thermal energy in the cool storage unitcan be set.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein the behavioral intentionestimating information estimates the braking behavior of the driver and,in the case where the conviction degree exceeds a predetermined value,the output determining unit reduces the target evaporator temperaturestepwise from a level higher than a temperature determined by the targetevaporator temperature calculation unit. At the time of actual brakingbehavior, the target evaporator temperature is thus preferably set tothe temperature determined by the target evaporator temperaturecalculation unit.

First, the target evaporator temperature is set to a comparatively highlevel and gradually reduced. In this way, the availability factor of thecompressor (i.e. the compressor load on the power source) can begradually increased. As a result, the cold thermal energy can be storedwithout any sense of incongruity on the part of the driver before anactual start of the braking operation.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein the behavioral intentionestimating information estimates the accelerating behavior of thedriver, and in the case where the conviction degree exceeds apredetermined value, the determining unit desirably instructs theair-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy in thecool storage unit until the driver actually performs the acceleratingbehavior.

The intention of the driver for the prospective accelerating behavior isestimated based on the driver operation information, and the accuracy ofthe predicted accelerating behavior is quantitatively confirmed based onthe vehicle motion information indicating the vehicle motion. As aresult, the prospective accelerating behavior of the driver can bedetermined with a higher accuracy. The cold thermal energy can thus bestored in the cool storage unit from the time point when theaccelerating behavior is predicted until the actual acceleratingbehavior starts.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle climate control apparatus, wherein, in the case where the driveractually performs the accelerating behavior, the determining unitpreferably instructs the air-conditioning control unit to release thecold thermal energy from the cool storage unit. The cold thermal energyis stored in the cool storage unit from the time point of predicting theaccelerating behavior to the time point of actual accelerating behavior,while the cold thermal energy is released at the time of actualaccelerating behavior. In the case where a large motive power isrequired, therefore, no motive power must be supplied to the compressor.Thus, a comfortable air-conditioning operation is made possible withoutadversely affecting the acceleration feeling.

According to this invention, there is provided a climate control methodfor controlling the air-conditioning device, comprising the steps of:

determining the similarity degree by comparing a predetermined drivingbehavior pattern with the driving behavior pattern of the driverdetermined based on the detection information from the driver behaviordetection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver;

calculating the behavioral intention estimating information forestimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on thedriving pattern highest in similarity degree; determining the convictiondegree indicating the accuracy of the behavioral intention estimatinginformation based on the vehicle motion information from the vehiclemotion detection unit for detecting the vehicle motion, the behavioralintention estimating information and the similarity degree; and

controlling the air-conditioning capacity of the air-conditioning devicein accordance with the vehicle motion information and the behavioralestimating information when the conviction degree is high.

The conviction degree in advance is determined based on the behavioralintention estimating information and the vehicle motion informationindicating the motion of the vehicle. In this way, the intention of thedriver for the prospective driving behavior (for example, the brakingbehavior, accelerating behavior, etc.) can be determined with higheraccuracy. As a result, the air-conditioning capacity corresponding tothe driving behavior can be controlled at an early time.

According to this invention, there is provided a climate control method,preferably further comprising the learning processing step forcorrecting a predetermined driving behavior pattern based on the actualdriving behavior pattern of the driver for the similarity degree notless than a predetermined value.

A different driver has a different propensity and features unique tohim/her. In view of this, the propensity and the features are learnedfrom the actual driving pattern and reflected in the predetermineddriving behavior pattern. In this way, the driving behavior pattern canbe adapted to each driver more accurately for an improved accuracy ofdetermining the driving pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a general configuration of a vehicle climatecontrol apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the essential parts of a cool storageunit 40.

FIG. 3A is a flowchart showing the main routine of the air-conditioningcontrol process (air-conditioning control unit 54) executed by anair-conditioning device 50.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing the main routine of the air-conditioningcontrol process (air-conditioning control unit 54) executed by theair-conditioning device 50.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing the main functions of an estimationunit 52 of the air-conditioning control device 50.

FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing the main functions of a determiningunit 53 of the air-conditioning control device 50.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the estimation unit 52.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a behavior pattern template stored ina driving pattern storage unit 523.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conviction degreecalculation unit 531.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of a target evaporatortemperature calculation unit 532.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of an output determiningunit 534.

FIG. 10A is a diagram for explaining an example of operation of theestimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53.

FIG. 10B is a diagram for explaining an example of operation of theestimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53.

FIG. 10C is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation of theestimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53.

FIG. 10D is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation of theestimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the estimation unit 52having the learning function according to another embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention is explained below.

This invention relates to a technique for securing both a satisfactorydrive feeling and in-compartment comfort at the same time, in which theestimation unit for estimating the intention of the driver for thedriving behavior based on various detection information is combined withthe air-conditioning control unit, by adjusting the air-conditioningstate by predicting the driving behavior of the driver at an early time.

Currently, the need for a climate control apparatus of a cool storagetype has increased, as an air-conditioning device used for vehicleswhich stop the engine while waiting for a signal turn, etc. (idling stopvehicle, hybrid car, etc.), for the purpose of environment protection.The climate control apparatus of a cool storage type includes a coolstorage unit for storing the cold thermal energy during the operation ofthe compressor and can cool the air blown into the compartments by thecool storage unit while the compressor is off. An embodiment of theinvention realizing this climate control apparatus of a cool storagetype in which the cold thermal energy can be effectively stored andreleased, while taking the drive feeling into consideration, isexplained.

(General Configuration of Vehicle Climate Control Apparatus)

FIG. 1 shows a general configuration of a vehicle climate controlapparatus, and FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the essential parts of acool storage unit 40.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle climate control apparatus comprises anair-conditioning device 100 mainly having a mechanical configuration andan air-conditioning control device 50 constituting a control unit of theair-conditioning device 100.

First, the configuration of the air-conditioning device 100 will beexplained. The refrigeration cycle R of the air-conditioning deviceincludes a compressor 1. The compressor 1 includes an electromagneticclutch 2 for supplying or cutting off the motive power transmitted froman on-vehicle engine 4 through a belt 3. The refrigeration cycle R isconfigured of a closed circuit including, indicated counterclockwisefrom the compressor 1, a condenser 5, a receiver 6, a temperature-typeexpansion valve 7 having a temperature sensing unit 8 and an evaporator9.

In an air-conditioning case of the air-conditioning device 100, a blowerfan 11 is arranged upstream of the evaporator 9. The blower fan 11includes a centrifugal blow fan 12 and a drive motor 13. Anindoor-outdoor air switching box 14 is arranged on the intake side ofthe blower fan 11. The indoor-outdoor air switching box 14 has arrangedtherein an indoor-outdoor air switching door 15 driven by an electricaldrive unit 18. The indoor-outdoor air switching door 15 is turned on/offby switching an atmospheric air intake hole 16 and an internal airintake hole 17.

A cool storage unit 40, an air mix door 19 and a heater core 20 arearranged in that order from the evaporator side downstream of theevaporator 9. Also, a bypass 21 bypassing the heater core 20 is formed.The air mix door 19 is rotated by an electrical drive unit 22 to therebyadjust the air amount ratio between the warm air from the path 23through the heater core 20 and the cool air passing through the bypass21.

Further, a blow-out mode switching unit 15 is arranged in theair-conditioning case 10 downstream of an air mix unit 24. The blow-outmode switching unit 15 includes a defroster opening unit (DEF) 25 with adefroster door 26, a face opening unit (FACE) 27 with a face door 28 anda foot opening unit 29 (FOOT) with a foot door 30. These opening unitsare operated by the doors 26, 28, 30 driven by an electrical drive unit31.

The temperature sensor 32 of the evaporator 9 detects the evaporatorblow-out temperature Te as an evaporator temperature. The temperaturesensor 33 of the cool storage unit 40, on the other hand, detects thecool storage unit blow-out temperature Tc as a cool storage unittemperature.

From the air-conditioning information unit 35, the air-conditioningcontrol device 50 is supplied with various air-conditioning controlinformation including the internal air temperature Tr, the atmosphericair temperature Tam, the sunlight amount Ts, the warm water temperatureTw and the setting temperature designated by the occupant in addition tothe evaporator blow-out temperature Te and the cool storage unitblow-out temperature Tc of the temperature sensors 32, 33. Also, fromthe vehicle information unit 36, the air-conditioning control device 50is supplied with the various vehicle information including the enginespeed, the vehicle speed, the gear shift position of the transmission,the brake pedal angle, the acceleration pedal angle and the driver footposition indicating the acceleration pedal or the brake pedal, whicheverreceives the foot of the driver. Further, from the external worldinformation unit 37, the air-conditioning control device 50 is suppliedwith the various information including the images of the road conditionin the external (outdoor) world grasped by the on-vehicle camera or theon-vehicle radar for indicating the vehicle motion objectively such asthe distance to other vehicles running ahead or behind, the roadinformation obtained by the on-vehicle navigation system or the distanceto the next intersection or the road condition ahead. Theair-conditioning information unit 35 and the vehicle information unit 36function as a driver behavior detection unit for detecting the operationamounts of the driver. These units detect the operation amounts of thedriver such as the set temperature, the vehicle speed, the footposition, etc. The vehicle information unit 36 also functions as avehicle motion detection unit for detecting the vehicle motion togetherwith the external world information unit 37. These units detect thevehicle motion information such as the road condition, the roadinformation, etc.

The air-conditioning control device 50 includes one or a plurality ofmicrocomputers each including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. not shown,peripheral circuits thereof and a storage unit 51 such as anelectrically rewritable nonvolatile memory.

The air-conditioning control device 50 includes units for implementingfunctions through the microcomputer, such as an estimation unit 52, adetermining unit 53 and an air-conditioning control unit 54. Theestimation unit 52 estimates the behavioral intention of the driverbased on the detection information from the information units 35 to 37and calculates the behavioral intention estimating information forestimating the prospective drive control to be performed by the driver.The determining unit 53 determines storing or releasing the cold thermalenergy, and the target evaporator temperature, based on the behavioralintention estimating information and the vehicle motion informationcalculated. The air-conditioning control unit 54 controls theair-conditioning state in the compartment by driving theair-conditioning device 100 including the compressor 1.

(Configuration of Cool Storage Unit 40)

Next, a specific example of configuration of the cool storage unit 40 isexplained with reference to FIG. 2.

The cool storage unit 40 has the shape with the same front area as theevaporator 9 shown in FIG. 1. Also, in order to exhibit the coolingability adapted to be utilized in air-conditioning mode, the coolstorage unit 40 has the configuration of a heat exchanger through whichall the cooling air flows after passage through the evaporator 9. Thisconfiguration permits the cool storage unit 40 to assume a thinstructure having a small thickness in the direction A of flow in theair-conditioning case 10. Also, two heat transfer plates 41, 42 ofaluminum are formed with convex surfaces 41 a, 42 a alternately alongthe direction A of the cooling air flow. The convex surfaces 41 a, 42 aare kept in contact and are bonded, by brazing, to each other.

As a result, tubes 45 having hermetic internal spaces 43 are formedinside the convex surfaces 41 a, 42 a. A cool storage material 44 isstored it the hermetic spaces 43. The cool storage material 44 is formedof paraffin selected as a material having, in this example, acoagulation point of about 8° C. which is included in the variationrange (1 to 12° C.) of the evaporator temperature Te.

In view of this, the air path 46 forms a zigzag path by alternateprotrusions of convex surfaces 41 a, 42 a thereby to improve the heattransfer rate from the cooling air to the tubes 45.

Although only two sets of tubes 45 are shown in FIG. 2, a multiplicityof tubes 45 are actually stacked in the direction along arrow B in FIG.2.

Now, an operation of storing the cold thermal energy according to thisembodiment is explained. The climate control apparatus cools the airblown from the blower fan 11 with the evaporator 9. After that, theclimate control apparatus mixes the cool air and the warm air with eachother by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 19 to therebycontrol the temperature of the air blown into the compartments to thetarget blow-out temperature TAO. In this case, even in the case wherethe target blow-out temperature TAO is a comparatively high 12° C., thetarget evaporator temperature Teo is required to be set to as low alevel as possible to complete a operation of storing the cold thermalenergy of the cool storage unit 40 within a short period of time.

In view of the fact that the evaporator 9 is frosted at 0° C. or below,however, the lowest temperature (Min) of the target evaporatortemperature Teo1 is about 1° C. Also, as the coagulation point of theparaffin making up the cool storage material 44 is 8° C., the rapid coolstorage requires a target evaporator temperature Teo1 of, say, 6° C.lower than 8° C. and higher than the lowest temperature to maintain thecold thermal energy after completion of storage. While the cold thermalenergy is released, the target evaporator temperature is not required tobe set as long as the compressor 1 is off. Once the temperature of thecool storage unit 40 is increased by releasing the cold thermal energy,however, the critical cool storage unit temperature Tco for determiningthe limit and stop of an operation of releasing the cold thermal energyis required to be set to, say, 12° C.

(Basic Operation of Climate Control Apparatus)

Next, the basic operation of the climate control apparatus by theair-conditioning control device 50 is explained. FIGS. 3A, 3B areflowcharts showing the main routine of the air-conditioning controlprocess (air-conditioning control unit 54) executed in theair-conditioning control device 50.

As shown in FIG. 3A, once the ignition switch, not shown, is turned onand this routine is started, the air-conditioning control device 50first initializes the contents stored in the data processing memory(RAM) (step 101). Then, the air-conditioning control device 50 reads thevarious signals (the evaporator temperature Te, the cool storage unittemperature Tc, the internal air temperature Tr, the atmospheric airtemperature Tam, the sunlight amount Ts, the warm water temperature Tw,the set temperature T1 designated by the occupant, etc.) from theair-conditioning information unit 35 and also reads an instructioninformation with respect to the operation of storing or releasing thecold thermal energy from the determining unit described later (step102).

Then, the air-conditioning control device 50 calculates the requiredblow-out temperature TAO corresponding to the thermal load of thevehicle based on the various signals (step 103).

Next, the air-conditioning control device 50 selects theair-conditioning mode based on the designated information from thedetermining unit 53 (step 104). In the case where the normal mode isselected, the air-conditioning control device 50 determines the targetevaporator temperature Teo in a normal mode (step 105). This targetevaporator temperature Teo is a target value determined by theair-conditioning environmental conditions such as the atmospherictemperature Tam to reduce the power of the engine 4 by reducing theavailability factor of the compressor 1. In the case where theatmospheric air temperature is in the range of 18 to 25° C. as in springor autumn, for example, the target evaporator temperature Teo is set to12° C. to suppress a wasteful refrigeration cycle operation due to theoperation of the compressor 1. In the case where the atmospheric airtemperature is lower than 18° C. or higher than 25° C., on the otherhand, the target evaporator temperature Teo is set to a low level.

In the case where the cold thermal energy storage mode is selected, onthe other hand, the air-conditioning control device 50 determines thetarget evaporator temperature Teo1 in the cold thermal energy storagemode (step 106). In the case where the cold thermal energy release modeis selected, the air-conditioning control device 50 sets the targetevaporator temperatures Teo as a critical cool storage unit temperatureTco (step 107). The temperature Tco indicates that the storage capacityof the cold thermal energy is depleted by the increase in thetemperature Tc of the cool storage unit 40. The target evaporatortemperatures Teo, Teo1 and the critical cool storage unit temperatureTco are stored in the ROM or the storage unit 51.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the blower control voltage (blow-out air amount) isdetermined based on the required blow-out temperature TAO calculated atstep 103 (step 108). Also, the blow-in mode for switching between theinternal and atmospheric air, if not manually set, is determined basedon the required blow-out temperature TAO (step 109). Further, theblow-out mode is similarly determined (step 110).

Then, the opening degree of the air mix door 19 is determined inaccordance with a control characteristic table predetermined from therequired blow-out temperature TAO calculated (step 111). Also, inaccordance with conditions such as the cooling load, the on/off state ofthe compressor 1 is determined (step 112). The air-conditioning controldevice 50 controls each device in accordance with the processing resultof steps 105 to 112 to the desired air-conditioning state (step 113).

(Functions of Estimation Unit 52)

Next, the estimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53 for estimatingthe behavioral intention of the driver and instructing theair-conditioning control unit 54 to store or release the cold thermalenergy are explained with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 4A, 4B are function block diagrams showing the main functions ofthe estimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53 of theair-conditioning control device 50.

In FIG. 4A, the estimation unit 52 predicts the prospective drivingbehavior (braking or acceleration) at an early time point before thedriver actually brakes or accelerates the vehicle. The estimation unit52 includes a normalization unit 521, a driving behavior storage unit522, a driving pattern storage unit 523 and a similarity degreecalculation unit 524. The normalization unit 521 normalizes a pluralityof detection information (the operation amounts of the driver) acquiredfrom the air-conditioning information unit 35 and the vehicleinformation unit 36 functioning as a driver behavior detection unit. Thedriving behavior storage unit 522 keeps the normalized detectioninformation updated and stored therein for a predetermined period oftime based on the normalized detection information. The driving patternstorage pattern unit 523 stores the driving patterns for increasing thebraking or engine output. The similarity degree calculation unit 524compares the latest normalized detection information stored in thedriving behavior storage unit 522 with the driving patterns stored inthe driving pattern storage unit 523, and calculates the similaritydegree. Then, the driving pattern highest in similarity degree isdetermined and, in accordance with this driving pattern, the subsequentbehavioral intention (acceleration or braking) of the driver isestimated.

The detection information (the operation amounts of the driver) used forestimation include the acceleration pedal angle 36 a from anacceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration pedal angle, thevehicle speed information 36 e from a vehicle speed sensor and theengine speed information 36 f from an engine speed sensor. Nevertheless,the operation amounts of the driver are not limited to these items. Theair-conditioning information 35 b such as the detection informationindicating the set temperature T designated by the driver or the coolingload, the foot position information 36 c from a foot position detectioncamera (or a radar) for detecting the acceleration pedal or the brakingpedal, whichever receives the foot of the driver, and the gear positioninformation 36 d from the gear position sensor for detecting the gearshift position of the transmission are examples of information that canbe used as other operation amounts of the driver.

The operation of the estimation unit 52 is explained with reference toFIGS. 5, 6.

The estimation unit 52 reads various detection information as theoperation amounts of the driver from the air-conditioning informationunit 35 and the vehicle information unit 36 functioning as a driverbehavior detection unit (step 201). Next, the normalization unit 521normalizes each information in accordance with the level and stagethereof. The information thus normalized are digitized into an amountwithin the range of 0 to 1 as normalized detection information (step202). Each normalized detection information is stored in the drivingbehavior storage unit 522 in chronological order as sampling data. Also,the normalized detection information constitute the sampling data for apredetermined latest period of time, say, 5 seconds, and kept updatedand stored (step 203). This driving behavior storage unit 522 isconfigured as a part of the RAM or the storage unit 51 of theair-conditioning control device 50.

The similarity degree calculation unit 524 acquires, at predeterminedtime intervals of, say, one second, the latest sampling data (latestdriving behavior data) stored in the driving behavior storage unit 522.The similarity degree calculation unit 524 compares the acquiredsampling data with each driving pattern template stored in the drivingpattern storage unit 523. The similarity degree calculation unit 524thus calculates the degree of similarity based on the degree ofcoincidence between the compared data. The driving pattern template isdescribed in detail later.

The similarity degree is 1 (unity) in the case where the sampling datacompletely coincides with any one of the driving pattern templates, anddecreases with the increase in the difference with the driving patterntemplates. The similarity degree calculation unit 524 detects thedriving pattern template highest in similarity degree. The detecteddriving pattern template is used as the behavioral intention estimationinformation for predicting the subsequent behavior of the driver. Thedetected driving pattern template and the similarity degree for theparticular template are stored in the storage unit 51 (step 204).

The driving pattern templates stored in advance in the driving patternstorage unit 523 configured as a part of the ROM or the storage unit 51are explained with reference to FIG. 6.

The driving pattern templates are prepared experimentally in advance.The driving pattern template for the braking operation, for example, isprepared in the manner described below. Specifically, the variousdetection information (acceleration pedal angle, air-conditioninginformation, foot position, gear position, vehicle speed and enginespeed) for the operation amounts of one hundred drivers are collected.For example, the data for ten seconds immediately before starting thebraking operation is detected and normalized. The normalized data(normalized information) are classified by a clustering scheme. Thus, adriving pattern template for the braking operation is determined as acluster (the set of data of the same type).

Further, each driving pattern template includes a plurality of behaviorpattern templates for respective detection information. A behaviorpattern template is prepared in the manner described below. First, theaverage value (data for ten seconds) of the normalized data of variousdetection information corresponding to a particular driving patterntemplate is determined. The normalized data for ten seconds is dividedinto a plurality of five-second data each shifted by one second. Thus, aplurality of behavior pattern templates are prepared.

In a similar fashion, in order to prepare the driving pattern templatefor the accelerating operation, the various data on the operationamounts of the driver for ten seconds immediately before the start ofthe accelerating operation are detected and normalized. After that, asin the preceding case, a plurality of driving pattern templates for theaccelerating operation are prepared by a clustering scheme.

FIG. 6 shows a case in which the driving pattern templates for thebraking operation are classified into clusters of double-depressiontype, abrupt braking type, etc., respectively, and each cluster for eachdetection information (acceleration pedal angle, etc.) is divided into aset of six five-second data (behavior pattern templates) each shifted byone second.

The similarity degree calculation unit 524 calculates the similaritydegree between a driving pattern template and the measured sampling datain the manner described below, for example. First, the similarity degreecalculation unit 524 matches the measured sampling data with eachbehavior pattern template with respect to each detection information,and determines the highest degree of coincidence with respect to eachdetection information. The similarity degree calculation unit 524 thenmultiplies the determined highest degrees of coincidence with each otherthereby to calculate the similarity degree.

(Functions of Determining Unit 53)

Next, in FIG. 4B, the determining unit 53, upon receipt of a pluralityof detection information (vehicle motion information) acquired from thevehicle information unit 36 and the external world information unit 37functioning as a vehicle motion detection unit and the similarity degreeinformation from the estimation unit 52, evaluates the reliability ofthe determined similarity degree using detection information differentfrom those used in the estimation unit 52.

Specifically, the determining unit 53 includes a conviction degreecalculation unit 531, a target evaporator temperature calculation unit532, an output template storage unit 533 and an output determining unit534. The conviction degree calculation unit 531 calculates theconviction degree indicating the accuracy of the behavioral intention ofthe driver. Also, the output template storage unit 533 stores thecontrol characteristic values for securing the satisfactory drivefeeling and the air-conditioned state at the same time. The targetevaporator temperature calculation unit 532 calculates the targetevaporator temperature Teo in normal mode or the target evaporatortemperature Teo1 in the cold thermal energy storage mode in accordancewith the control characteristic value from the output template storageunit 533 based on the similarity degree information, the behavioralintention estimating information, the air-conditioned state, theevaporator temperature Te, the cool storage unit temperature Tc and theengine output state. The output determining unit 534, upon receipt ofthe various information including the acceleration pedal angle set bythe driver, the conviction degree and the target evaporation temperatureTeo or Teo1, provides the instruction information (ex. an instructionsignal of storing the cold thermal energy or an instruction signal ofreleasing the cold thermal energy) to the air-conditioning control unit54 to store or release the cold thermal energy and supplies the targetevaporator temperature information Teo or Teo1.

The cool storage unit 53 can store the cold thermal energy in a periodimmediately before the driver actually brakes the vehicle as well asduring the actual braking operation. Therefore, the air-conditioningload (compressor load) on the engine is reduced. As an alternative, thecool storage unit 40 stores the cold thermal energy at a periodimmediately before the driver actually accelerates the vehicle, and thenthe cool storage unit 40 releases the cold thermal energy during theactual accelerating operation. Therefore, the air-conditioning load(compressor load) on the engine is reduced.

The detection information (vehicle motion information) that can be usedin the determining unit 53 include the road information ahead of thevehicle acquired from the car navigation system 37 c guiding the driveralong the route, or the video information (road conditions) acquiredfrom the camera 37 a or the radar unit 37 b mounted on the vehicle forpicking up the image ahead, behind or sideways of the vehicle.Nevertheless, these are not the only vehicle motion informationinformation that can be used. The brake pedal angle 36 b acquired fromthe brake sensor for detecting the brake pedal angle and the congestioninformation, the road gradient information and the altitude informationacquired from the car navigation system 37 c can also be used as thevehicle motion information.

The operation of the units 531, 532, 534 making up the determining unit53 is explained below.

First, the conviction degree calculation unit 531, as shown in FIG. 7,reads the similarity degree information determined by the similaritydegree calculation unit 524 (step 301).

Then, the conviction degree calculation unit 531 determines, forexample, the distance from the present vehicle position to the nextintersection, the distance from the present vehicle position to thenearest specific object (such as a merging point of free ways) or thegradient of the road ahead of the present vehicle position based on thevehicle motion information acquired from the vehicle information unit 36and the external world information unit 37 functioning as a vehiclemotion detection unit. By totalizing the information thus obtained andthe behavioral intention estimating information, the conviction degreecalculation unit 531 determines, using fuzzy inference, for example, theinference value of the probability that the driver will start a brakingbehavior or an acceleration behavior in the immediate future.

In the case where the fuzzy inference is used, the conviction degreecalculation unit 531 has a predetermined membership function (fuzzy set)for each element constituting the information on the distance to thenext intersection, the distance to a specified object or the roadgradient. A plurality of membership functions may be set for eachelement. The membership function for each element is set separately forthe acceleration and the braking operations as the driver's behavior.

The conviction degree calculation unit 531, upon acquisition of thebehavioral intention estimating information, selects the membershipfunction for each element based on the driver's behavior (accelerationor braking) indicated by the particular information. Next, theconviction degree calculation unit 531 calculates the adaptability(output value of the membership function) of the fuzzy set of eachelement based on the measurement of each information. After that, theconviction degree calculation unit 531 calculates the center of gravityof the union of the adaptability based on a min-max scheme. The value ofthe center of gravity thus calculated is the inference value. Theconviction degree calculation unit 531 may use the algebraicproduct-sum-gravity scheme or the simplified inference instead of themin-max scheme.

The inference value can also be determined by other than the fuzzyinference, such as by the function with the aforementioned informationas an input variable and the inference value as an output variable. Thisfunction can be determined experimentally in advance.

During the accelerating operation, the inference value is higher, thelarger the distance to the next intersection or a specified object orwhen ascending a slope. During the braking operation, on the other hand,the inference value is higher, the shorter the distance to the nextintersection or a specified object or when descending a slope.

The conviction degree calculation unit 531 calculates the convictiondegree indicating the accuracy of the braking behavior or theacceleration behavior of the vehicle by multiplying the inference valueand the similarity degree with each other. As an alternative, theconviction degree calculation unit 531 can use the value of similaritydegree directly as the conviction degree in the case where the inferencevalue is not less than a predetermined value (say, 0.5). In view of thefact that the inference value and the similarity degree is expressed by0 to 1, the conviction degree is also given as a value in the range of 0to 1. The conviction degree thus calculated is stored in the storageunit 51 (step 303).

As shown in FIG. 8, the target evaporator temperature calculation unit532 reads the similarity degree information determined by the similaritydegree calculation unit 524, the air-conditioning information indicatingthe air-conditioning load condition, the evaporator temperature Te andthe engine speed 36 f and the acceleration pedal angle 36 a indicatingthe engine output state (step 401). Upon determination by the targetevaporator temperature calculation unit 532 at step 402 that the driveris liable to start a braking behavior based on the behavioral intentionestimating information, the process proceeds to step 403.

The output template storage unit 533 includes an output template forimproving the drive feeling slightly before or during the brakingoperation. This output template determines the target evaporatortemperature Teo or Teo1 in such a manner as to prevent the abrupt changein the engine output (or the engine load) in accordance with the engineoutput state determined from the acceleration pedal angle and the enginespeed and the present evaporator temperature (correlated with theair-conditioning load or the compressor load) for the gradual or abruptbraking operation.

At step 403, the target evaporator temperature calculation unit 532reads the output template corresponding to the state immediately beforeor during the prevailing braking operation. The target evaporatortemperature calculation unit 532 calculates the target evaporatortemperature Teo1 determined by this output template, and stores it inthe storage unit 51. Immediately before the braking operation, i.e.during a short period slightly before the braking operation and theactual gradual braking operation, the target evaporator temperaturecalculation unit 532 sets the target evaporator temperature Teo at 3 to8° C. to secure a comparatively low air-conditioning load not giving anyfeeling of incongruity while storing the cold thermal energy. During thenormal braking or abrupt braking, on the other hand, in spite of ahigher air-conditioning load as the result of giving priority to storingthe cold thermal energy over the drive feeling, the target evaporatortemperature calculation unit 532 sets the target evaporator temperatureTeo1 at the minimum temperature (Min) of 1° C.

Upon determination by the target evaporator temperature calculation unit532 at step 402 that that the driver is liable to start the accelerationbehavior based on the behavioral intention estimating information, theprocess proceeds to step 404. In the case where the driving templatedetermined highest in similarity degree is associated with theacceleration behavior, for example, it is determined that the driver isliable to start an acceleration behavior.

The output template storage unit 533 also has an output template forimproving the drive feeling immediately before and during acceleration.This output template determines the target evaporator temperature Teo1in such a manner as to prevent the abrupt change in the engine output(or the engine load) in accordance with the engine output statedetermined from the acceleration pedal angle and the engine speed andthe present evaporator temperature (correlated with the air-conditioningload) Te for the gradual or abrupt braking operation.

At step 404, the target evaporator temperature calculation unit 532reads the output template corresponding to the state immediately beforeor during the prevailing acceleration. Further, the target evaporatortemperature calculation unit 532 calculates and stores the targetevaporator temperature Teo1 determined by this output template. Duringthe period from the time point when the acceleration behavior ispredicted to be immediately before acceleration to the time point whenthe actual acceleration behavior is started, for example, the targetevaporator temperature calculation unit 532 sets the target evaporationtemperature Teo1 to 3 to 8° C. to store the cold thermal energy. Also,the target evaporator temperature calculation unit 532 sets the targetevaporator temperature Teo1 at the maximum temperature of 12° C. or doesnot set (opens) the target evaporator temperature Teo to stop therefrigeration cycle (mainly the compressor 1) during the actualacceleration behavior such as gradual acceleration, normal accelerationand abrupt acceleration.

As shown in FIG. 9, the output determining unit 534 reads the variousdetection information (the acceleration pedal angle 36 a, the convictiondegree, the target evaporator temperature Teo or Teo1, and the coolstorage unit temperature Tc) (step 501). Upon determination by theoutput determining unit 534 at step 502 that the acceleration pedalangle is not more than a first threshold value, the process proceeds tostep 503. After that, in the case where the conviction degree read fromthe conviction degree calculation unit 531 is larger than a secondthreshold value, the output determining unit 534 determines a state inor immediately before the braking operation, and the process proceeds tostep 504 thereby to output the instruction signal of storing the coldthermal energy and the target evaporator temperature information Teo1read previously. Alternatively, at step 504, the output determining unit534 may set the target evaporator temperature higher than Teo1 andoutput the target evaporator temperature and the instruction signal ofstoring the cold thermal energy. Then, the output determining unit 534may reduce and output the target evaporator temperature in a stepwisefashion until the target evaporator temperature equals Teo1, at the timeof actual braking behavior.

At step 503, in the case where the conviction degree that has been readis smaller than the second threshold value, on the other hand, theoutput determining unit 534 outputs the target evaporator temperatureinformation Teo in normal mode, but does not output the instructionsignal for storing or releasing the cold thermal energy. Then, theprocess is ended.

The first threshold value is determined based on the relation betweenthe acceleration pedal angle and the acceleration feeling. The firstthreshold value can be set to, for example, 20% of the maximumacceleration pedal angle. Also, the second threshold value can be set to0.5. In the case where storing the cold thermal energy is givenpriority, however, the second threshold value can be set to a valuelower than 0.5. In the case where the drive feeling is emphasized, onthe other hand, the second threshold value can be set to a value higherthan 0.5.

Upon determination by the output determining unit 534 at step 502 thatthe acceleration pedal angle 36 a is larger than the first thresholdvalue, on the other hand, the process proceeds to step 505. After that,in the case where the cool storage unit temperature Tc is lower than thecritical cool storage unit temperature Tco, the output determining unit534 outputs the instruction signal for releasing the cold thermal energyand the target evaporator temperature information Teo (=Tco, forexample, 12° C.) read earlier (step 506). Also, in the case where thecool storage unit temperature Tc is higher than the critical coolstorage unit temperature Tco at step 505, the process is ended as it is.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are diagrams for explaining an example of the operationof the estimation unit 52 and the determining unit 53.

FIG. 10A shows the engine output changing with the road gradient or,especially, the requirement of a large engine output when ascending asteep slope on the assumption that the driver drives along a road whilemaintaining the current speed from the present time point t0. The engineoutput is estimated based on, for example, the road gradient informationreceived by the car navigation system.

FIGS. 10B to 10D show that the cold thermal energy is slightly stored bythe cool storage unit 40 during the period of t0 to t1 before time pointt1 when a large engine output is required by the cool storage unit 40 ona steep slope, and that the cold thermal energy is released from timepoint t1.

In view of this, the determining unit 53 outputs an instruction signalfor storing the cold thermal energy during the period from the presenttime point t0 to time point t1 (FIG. 10B). Also, the determining unit 53outputs a instruction signal for releasing the cold thermal energyduring the period from time point t1 till the temperature of the coolstorage unit 40 reaches the critical cool storage unit temperature Tco(FIG. 10C). Also, in response to the instruction signal of storing thecold thermal energy from the present time point t0, the determining unit53 reduces the target evaporator temperature Teo1 gradually to lowerthan 8° C. where the cold thermal energy can be stored and sets thetemperature Teo1 to the minimum temperature (Min) of 1° C. in accordancewith the engine output state and the air-conditioning state to secureboth the satisfactory drive feeling and in-compartment comfort.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the vehicle climatecontrol apparatus controls the vehicle climate using the targetevaporator temperature Teo determined by the air-conditioningenvironment conditions in the normal mode shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B.Specifically, in the intermediate temperature range (for example, 18 to25° C.) of the atmospheric temperature Tam, the requirement of coolingand dehumidification is reduced, and therefore the power of the engine 4can be saved by increasing the target evaporator temperature Teo (to,say, 12° C.) while at the same time reducing the availability factor ofthe compressor 1.

In the cold thermal energy storage mode shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, thevehicle climate control apparatus sets the target evaporator temperatureTeo at Teo1 (say, 1 to 8° C.) required for the cool storage unit 40 tostore the cold thermal energy. According to this embodiment, the vehicleclimate control apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, sets the cold thermalenergy storage mode from the time point when the braking behavior ispredicted as well as during the actual vehicle braking operation.Further, the vehicle climate control apparatus, when the engine outputis increased such as when the acceleration behavior or the behavior ofascending a slope is predicted, also sets the cold thermal energystorage mode for storing the cold thermal energy to such an extent asnot to give a feeling of incongruity to the driver during the periodfrom the time point when an output increase is predicted to the timepoint when the output increase operation is performed. By so setting,the duration of the cold thermal energy storage mode can be set longerthan the actual braking time, thereby making it possible to store agreater amount of the cold thermal energy.

Also, during the cold thermal energy release mode such as an idling stopas shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, the air-conditioning state can be maintainedfor a comparatively long time using the capacity of the cold thermalenergy of the cool storage unit 40 even in the case where the compressor1 is stopped before the cool storage unit temperature Tc of the coolstorage unit 40 reaches the critical cool storage unit temperature Tco.Also, the cold thermal energy release mode is introduced at the time ofacceleration or ascending a slope or, in the broad sense of the word,when the engine output increases. In such a case, the requiredair-conditioning means can be provided without hampering the drivefeeling in acceleration, or ascending a slope, by stopping thecompressor 1 (refrigeration cycle).

Also, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, the use ofthe similarity degree of the driving patterns by the estimation unit 52and the conviction degree of the braking or acceleration behavior by thedetermining unit 53 makes it possible to predict the braking behavior orthe acceleration behavior of the driver in the immediate future with ahigher probability at a time earlier than the actual braking oracceleration behavior of the driver. As a result, a long cool storagetime can be more positively secured.

Further, in the vehicle climate control apparatus according to thisembodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the target evaporator temperature Teo1is set in accordance with the engine output state when starting the coldthermal energy storage mode based on the output template set and storedin the output template storage unit 533 in advance. Even in the casewhere the cold thermal energy storage mode is started at the time ofpredicting the braking behavior in the immediate future or during theactual braking operation or at the time of predicting the accelerationbehavior in the immediate future, therefore, the engine output can beprevented from being suddenly changed.

Other Embodiments

The embodiment described above represents an application of theinvention to a vehicle climate control apparatus for controlling theair-conditioning device 100 having the cool storage unit 40. However,this invention is not limited to the configuration for storing orreleasing the cold thermal energy in or from the cool storage unit 40.According to the invention, the intention of the driver for a drivingbehavior (such as acceleration or braking) is estimated, and the outputstate of the power source of the vehicle is predicted at an early time,so that the air-conditioning control unit is instructed to adjust theair-conditioning capacity in accordance with the output state, therebysecuring both the satisfactory driving feeling and the in-compartmentcomfort at the same time.

Even in the case where the engine load is increased, such as at amerging point of freeways, for example, the compressor load of theclimate control apparatus may be reduced temporarily by estimating theintention for the driving behavior at an early time. This invention isapplicable also to a vehicle having a motor as a power source such as ahybrid car or an electric car in which the engine and the motor arecombined. In the case where the load condition of the power source isincreased, for example, the intention of the driver for the drivingbehavior is estimated and the output state of the power source of thevehicle is predicted at an early time. By adjusting the operatingcondition (air-conditioning capacity) of the electric compressor of theclimate control apparatus in accordance with the predicted output state,the effect of the electric compressor (electrical load) on theon-vehicle power supply is reduced. As a result, the source voltage dropdue to an overload of the power supply and the deterioration of thedrive feeling can be prevented.

Also, in this embodiment, the driving behavior of the driver is dividedinto the braking behavior and the acceleration behavior. In the broadsense of the words, the acceleration behavior according to thisembodiment is defined as a driving behavior for increasing the engineoutput including the acceleration behavior and the behavior of ascendinga slope.

Further, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, thedriving pattern storage unit 523 of the estimation unit 52 is configuredto store the driving pattern template for each of various detectioninformation experimentally determined in advance. The driving patterntemplate storage unit 523 has, stored and set therein, a referencedriving pattern template shared by a multiplicity of drivers. In view ofthe individual differences of propensity and features between individualdrivers, however, the propensity and the features of the individualdrivers are preferably learned from the actual driving pattern andreflected in the driving pattern template. By doing so, the individualadaptability is further improved for an improved determining accuracy ofthe driving pattern.

For the reason described above, the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 furtherincludes the process for detecting the actual driving pattern (drivingbehavior data) in the control flow of FIG. 5 and the process forcorrecting the driving pattern template in the driving pattern templatestorage unit 523 (steps 205, 206) as a learning process.

First, step 205 for determining the learning conditions, i.e. as towhether the learning process is to be executed or not. According to thisembodiment, the driving pattern determination accuracy is improved byretrieving the various detection information in the case where thesimilarity degree is high. Upon determination by the estimation unit 52that the similarity degree calculated at step 204 is associated with thebraking behavior or the acceleration behavior higher than apredetermined value, the process proceeds to step 206, and the samplingdata (driving behavior data) for each of the prevailing variousdetection information is retrieved and stored temporarily in the RAM orthe storage unit 51.

Then, at step 206, the estimation unit 52 determines an averaged brakingbehavior pattern or an averaged acceleration behavior pattern each timethe braking behavior data or the acceleration behavior data areaccumulated a predetermined number of times. Using the braking behaviorpattern or the acceleration behavior pattern thus determined, theestimation unit 52 corrects each template of the braking behaviorpattern and the acceleration behavior pattern stored in the drivingpattern template storage unit 523 thereby to reflect a driving patternunique to each driver. To stabilize the determination accuracy, however,each template is preferably corrected by employing, for example, theweighted average to gradually correct the data amount of each templateinitially set and stored.

In the case where step 205 determines that the similarity degree islower than the predetermined value, on the other hand, the process isterminated without the learning process.

1. A vehicle climate control apparatus mounted on the vehicle using anengine or a motor as a power source and controlling an air-conditioningdevice for controlling the climate in the compartment, the apparatuscomprising: an air-conditioning control unit for controlling theair-conditioning state in the vehicle compartments by controlling theair-conditioning device; a drive behavior detection unit for detectingthe operation amounts of the driver; an estimation unit for calculatingthe behavioral intention estimation information for estimating theprospective driving behavior of the driver based on the operationamounts detected by the driving behavior detection unit; and adetermining unit for estimating the output state of a power source basedon the behavioral intention estimating information and giving aninstruction to the air-conditioning control unit in accordance with theestimated output state.
 2. A vehicle climate control apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the operation amounts include at least one of theacceleration pedal angle, the vehicle speed and the engine speed.
 3. Avehicle climate control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thedetermining unit instructs the air-conditioning control unit to adjustthe air-conditioning capacity in accordance with the estimated outputstate.
 4. A vehicle climate control apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the air-conditioning device includes a cool storage unit forstoring the cold thermal energy using the cooling capacity during theair-conditioning operation, and the determining unit instructs theair-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy in thecool storage unit or release the cold thermal energy from the coolstorage unit in accordance with the estimated output state.
 5. A vehicleclimate control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein theair-conditioning device includes an evaporator, and the determining unitinstructs the cool storage unit to store the cold thermal energy so asto achieve a target evaporator temperature.
 6. A vehicle climate controlapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit includes adriving behavior storage unit for storing the operation amounts for apredetermined period of time, a driving pattern storage unit for storinga predetermined driving behavioral pattern indicating the brakingbehavior or the acceleration behavior, and a similarity calculation unitfor determining a similarity degree by comparing the operation amountsstored in the driving behavior storage unit with the predetermineddriving behavior pattern and calculating the behavioral intentionestimating information based on the driving pattern highest insimilarity degree.
 7. A vehicle climate control apparatus, mounted on avehicle driven by an engine or a motor as a power source to control theclimate in the compartment of the vehicle, the apparatus controlling anair-conditioning device having a cool storage unit for storing the coldthermal energy using the cooling capacity during the air-conditioningoperation, the apparatus comprising: an air-conditioning control unitfor controlling the air-conditioning state in the vehicle compartment bycontrolling the air-conditioning device; a driving behavior detectionunit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver; an estimationunit for calculating the behavioral intention estimating information forestimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on theoperation amounts detected; a vehicle motion detection unit fordetecting the motion of the vehicle; and a determining unit fordetermining the conviction degree indicating the accuracy of thebehavioral intention estimating information based on the vehicle motioninformation detected by the vehicle motion detection unit andinstructing the air-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermalenergy in the cool storage unit based on the conviction degree.
 8. Avehicle climate control apparatus according to clam 7, wherein thedetermining unit instructs the air-conditioning control unit to storethe cold thermal energy in the cool storage unit in the case where theconviction degree exceeds a predetermined value and does not instructthe air-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy inthe cool storage unit in the case where the conviction degree is notmore than the predetermined value.
 9. A vehicle climate controlapparatus according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle motion informationincludes at least a selected one of the road information from the carnavigation system for guiding the driver along the route and the roadcondition ahead of or behind the vehicle detected by a camera or aradar.
 10. A vehicle climate control apparatus according to clam 7,wherein the air-conditioning device has an evaporator, and thedetermining unit instructs the cool storage unit to store the coldthermal energy so as to achieve a target evaporator temperature.
 11. Avehicle climate control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein theestimation unit includes a driving behavior storage unit for storing theoperation amounts for a predetermined period of time, a driving patternstorage unit for storing a predetermined driving behavior patternindicating the accelerating behavior or the braking behavior, and asimilarity degree calculation unit for determining the similarity bycomparison between the operation amounts stored in the driving behaviorstorage unit and the predetermined driving behavior pattern andcalculating the behavioral intention estimating information based on thedriving pattern highest in similarity degree, wherein the determiningunit determines the conviction degree based on the vehicle motioninformation, the behavioral intention estimating information and thesimilarity degree.
 12. A vehicle climate control apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the air-conditioning device includes anair-conditioning case, an evaporator arranged in the air-conditioningcase for cooling the flowing air and the cool storage unit downstream ofthe evaporator, and wherein the determining unit further includes atarget evaporator temperature calculation unit for determining thetarget evaporator temperature based on the vehicle motion information,the behavioral intention estimating information and the convictiondegree, and an output determining unit for instructing theair-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy in thecool storage unit so as to achieve the target temperature of theevaporator in the air-conditioning device.
 13. A vehicle climate controlapparatus according to claim 12, wherein the behavioral intentionestimating information predicts the braking behavior of the driver and,in the case where the conviction degree exceeds a predetermined value,the output determining unit reduces the target evaporator temperaturestepwise from a level higher than a temperature determined by the targetevaporator temperature calculation unit, and at the time of actualbraking behavior, sets the target evaporator temperature to thetemperature determined by the target evaporator temperature calculationunit.
 14. A vehicle climate control apparatus according to claim 7,wherein the behavioral intention estimating information predicts theacceleration behavior of the driver, and in the case where theconviction degree exceeds a predetermined value, the determining unitdesirably instructs the air-conditioning control unit to store the coldthermal energy in the cool storage unit until the driver actuallyperforms the accelerating behavior from the time of estimation of thedriving behavior.
 15. A vehicle climate control apparatus according toclaim 14, wherein, in the case where the driver actually conducts theacceleration behavior, the determining unit instructs theair-conditioning control unit to release the cold thermal energy fromthe cool storage unit.
 16. A climate control method for controlling theclimate control apparatus mounted on a vehicle driven by an engine or amotor as a power source to control the climate in the vehiclecompartment, comprising the steps of: determining the similarity degreeby comparing a predetermined driving behavior pattern with the drivingbehavior pattern of the driver determined based on the detectioninformation from a driver behavior detection unit for detecting theoperation amounts of the driver; calculating the behavioral intentionestimating information for estimating the prospective driving behaviorof the driver based on the driving pattern highest in similarity degree;determining the conviction degree indicating the accuracy of thebehavioral intention estimating information based on the vehicle motioninformation from the vehicle motion detection unit for detecting thevehicle motion, the behavioral intention estimating information and thesimilarity degree; and controlling the air-conditioning capacity of theclimate control apparatus in accordance with the vehicle motioninformation and the behavioral intention estimating information in thecase where the conviction degree is high.
 17. A climate control methodaccording to claim 16, further comprising the learning processing stepfor correcting a predetermined driving behavior pattern based on theactual driving behavior pattern of the driver determined based on thedetection information in the case where the similarity degree is notless than a predetermined value.